I don't wanna jack that home studio thread so...

[mtl6]

interesting... thanks for the advice guys. I'm leaning towards the A7Xs but I'll choose after I check em all out in Guitar Center. I gotta do more research on the Equators (the 5s I think) and the VXT6s And yeah my Macbook should last at least another year or so. It's old but it has 4 gigs of RAM.... which is enough for now...barely


Now for more choices: do you go with the 49 key keyboard or a 61? The Akai MAX49 looked pretty sweet with its sequencer but its a little pricey for only 49 keys. But does anyone making bass music/dubstep/house really need to play with more than 4 octaves at a time?


So what's wrong with Behringer? They don't make quality interfaces? I literally have no idea what the difference is between all these interfaces I'm looking at...

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Behringer has a lot of build quality issues. And many of the products are "bargain" quality...

[SunkLo]

Their preamps are usually dirty as well. They do make a few units that aren't garbage but those are the exception to the rule. An interface is not an area where you want to skimp on quality.

Don't get those new Akai keyboards. The touch sliders are gimmicky, you want proper tactile feedback from a physical fader. Not to mention the nice endless rotary encoders on the MPK line. The MAX line only offers the ability to send CV if you were to work with analogue hardware without midi, which isn't relevant to most producers. As for 49 vs 61, it depends on your style. 61 is a really good balance between range and size for me. I'm missing the top and bottom octave of a piano which isn't super essential. I can still map kontakt instruments out across it and be able to reach all the articulation keyswitches and things. The extra 4 drum pads is nice as well since a lot of vst drum machines have a 4x4 grid. I also like orchestrating large sections and I intend to use it as a performance instrument so I don't think I could step down to the 49. If you don't feel the need for any of that stuff though, a 49 would be a bit more space efficient and cheaper.

I should also add that I got my MPK61 on ebay for 305. I payed around 460 after shipping and border duties which was kind of a boot to the ass, but if you look around you might find one in your area for a similar price and save big.

The Equators are really great value from what I understand. Lot of people love em. They're coax so the sweet spot is much wider. The only downside is the low frequency extension. If you treat your room really well it might be worth it to get a sub or monitors with better LF extension.

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^Equator is working on if not released 8 inch version of the D series which should sort low end, but I think they'll be 699-799 a pair. Still a bargain if you ask me.

[Crimsonghost]

Also, would a pair of used A7Xs for $1000 in 'excellent' condition be a good deal?

Yes. Seing as there around $700 each new. If you can check them out in person that would be best.

Also, what year is your MacBook Pro? You might be able to upgrade to 8g of ram. if its a little newer you might be able t get to 16gigs. I think ram is about $75 for an 8gig upgrade. You can install it yourself. Super easy.

[bassbum]

If you have 3K don't buy fucking rokits man...

Or Behringer.

For the record, my pc has a stock clocked i7 920 at 2.6, 6 gigs of 1600mhz ram, and an SSD. I've never hit a resource wall while producing and usually I run a lot of plugins and tracks. So you don't need to go completely over the top on a pc.

Edit: wait he said he has a Macbook pro, why are we talking about computers now? This isn't the how to blow 3 grand on redundant purchases thread is it?

Redundant??? Your opinion of a mac is the only redundant thing here. Mac are living off of old reputations and common misconceptions... they apparently process audio data better???.. its not true.
If you have a mac.. get a PC, Mac's are overpriced mid level crap. Who pays 3 times as much to not even have the option of some/all of the better CPUs. Unless you really get a boner for Logic. (Hackingtosh...just sayin)

Just like I said get an i7 so you can be like Sunklo and never hit your CPU wall. Go over the top because in the future when all the new software is more CPU intensive you will be happy you did.

@Mason Ram dosn't really come into the equation for production after 2GB and above.

These guys are right about Behringer. I just wanted to show a desk with a interface.

I run a 1st gen 3.6 i5 and I hit my wall at like track 120.

[SunkLo]

It's pretty redundant if he already has a capable computer. When did I say macs process audio data better, or offer any opinion on macs whatsoever? The only thing I implied was that the Macbook pro that he already owns would do the job just fine(which it will) and he should spend his money on gear that will actually make a difference instead of buying something he doesn't need. I run windows and linux so I don't know why you're tripping like I'm a Mac fanboy or something.

I'd disagree about your statement on RAM. Load a bunch of multisample instruments and you'll run out of RAM pretty quick. Some instruments do HD streaming but that becomes a bottleneck pretty quickly when you've got several on the go. 4-12Gb seems like a good amount depending on your producing style. 6 works well for me but I also have the speed benefit of the SSD so that probably comes into play in certain scenarios.

Mtl6, speaking of Macs, you'll be able to consider Apogee interfaces now since they're Mac only. They've got a pretty good reputation for conversion and drivers, so it might be worth splurging on a limited I/O interface of theirs like the Duet (again, assuming you don't intend to do any multitrack recording) I'd shop around and check out some interfaces in your price range. Obviously you're not gonna blow your whole budget on a Lynx Aurora but factor out your keyboard, monitors and room treatment and see how much left you have to play with. There's interface reviews and shootouts on gearslutz so go scrounge around there to learn more about individual units and how they compare. The more reading you do, the more of an objective perspective you'll have and the more you'll avoid subjective bias on the part of a few select reviewers.

[bassbum]

I guess that depends on what you consider a capable computer. There are load of benefits to a good computer like graphics in games a game council player could only dream of. Also the comment on if Mac processes audio better was because I knew someone was going to say it, I hear that crap all the time. His Mac will probably serve him well for a few years of music production. With that budget though I feel it would be best spent on a nice PC.

You are right about ram with multisample instruments but I was assuming we where producing electronic music and not trying to recreate a fully orchestra as accurately as possible.

[SunkLo]

So you think buying a PC is a better use of his budget than a midi keyboard, an interface, monitors and room treatment? C'mon now.

[mtl6]

Yeah I'm sure they are pros and cons for using both Mac and PC... I don't really have a preference for either but I plan on buying another computer in a year or so. So I don't need one now. I really just want monitors cause I hate mixing on bose headphones and I'd love to have a keyboard where I can actually play chords instead of clicking them in. So you guys are probably right that a new nice ass computer would be helpful but its not what I need right now

Tomorrow I'll be visiting the guitar center and hopefully picking up a keyboard, pair of monitors, and an interface. Are there specific cables I'm gonna need to? I suppose the folks at GC can just help me....

[fragments]

Yeah I'm sure they are pros and cons for using both Mac and PC... I don't really have a preference for either but I plan on buying another computer in a year or so. So I don't need one now. I really just want monitors cause I hate mixing on bose headphones and I'd love to have a keyboard where I can actually play chords instead of clicking them in. So you guys are probably right that a new nice ass computer would be helpful but its not what I need right now

Tomorrow I'll be visiting the guitar center and hopefully picking up a keyboard, pair of monitors, and an interface. Are there specific cables I'm gonna need to? I suppose the folks at GC can just help me....

Probably some balanced male/male quarter inch cables. Yea...you'll be lucky if they can help you...last time I was in they didn't know what an tip/ring insert y-cable was....it took three of them looking shit up on a computer to figure it out...

[bassbum]

So you think buying a PC is a better use of his budget than a midi keyboard, an interface, monitors and room treatment? C'mon now.

NO I said I would get a PC, monitors, a interface and a keyboard if you read my post.

[SunkLo]

So you think buying a PC is a better use of his budget than a midi keyboard, an interface, monitors and room treatment? C'mon now.

NO I said I would get a PC, monitors, a interface and a keyboard if you read my post.

Why not get a PC, monitors, an interface, a keyboard, and a Lexus?
Because there's a budget right? No point in blowing a large chunk of it on something redundant. Sink the money into better conversion, room treatment, and monitoring, and upgrade the computer when there's an actual need to.


Dude honestly I wouldn't buy shit from GC. Go there and pretend like you're ready to drop dime, (ask if the manager's in) and get them to set you up some monitors and interfaces in a quiet listening area. Bring a flash drive with music you know really well in high quality. Spend a couple hours comparing gear, and take detailed notes if you can. Once you're done, tell them you still haven't decided or you need to go listen to your friend's setup and that you'll probably be back in a few days. Then price hunt on the online stores and ebay. Shit like monitors you can save a lot on buying used and there's not really any wear on them usually. Call up GC before you order and see if they'll price-match anything from the online stores. Might save you some waiting time.

[fragments]

^Spot on advice about GC. They will bend over backwards to make ANY sale. Last time I was there...I brought in an ancient amp, had them hook it up to a bunch of used speakers. Listened to a bunch of monitors when I didn't like what I heard on the amp/speakers. Ended up buying a pair of 99 dollar Numark DJ monitors for what I was doing.

They will price match anything. I do that on a regular basis. If you know how to work Guitar Center, you can get a lot out of them. It's a corporate franchise so no one that values their job is going to tell you to piss off.

Besides, half of them are completely ignorant...at least at the one I go to. I seriously had a guy (involved in the y-cable scenario I described) ask me if I ran studio...lol...he was dead serious and impressed by my "knowledge" lol...

work those douches for all they are worth...

[SunkLo]

That really goes for any corporate commission based store, but it's especially useful for music gear since you'll probably want to try before buying. If you say something like "Hi I'm setting up a studio from scratch and I've got a list of gear I'd like to try out before buying" you'll be able to hear the blood rushing to their groin. They love when rich chumps come in who don't really know much about music production but want to "build a studio" because that equates to them being able to sell a bunch of useless expensive shit. Just kind of play along, ask what the best gear is, etc. and then ask if they can set you up an area to A/B test everything.

[Ocelots Revolver]

A lot of good advice here about monitors IMHO: get a feel for the reputation of certain hardware on gearslutz and test them yourself at GC.

Honestly though, as far as MIDI controllers, no one can tell you what to buy, its going to be a personal matter. I mean, you don't even know how many keys to get? You're in no position to be spending a lot of money on a keyboard controller if something like that is a hurdle. My suggestion is to get a >$100 49 key, used, and after a couple months of using it you'll walk into Guitar Center knowing precisely what you want. Don't be like that other idiot who bought Maschine without even knowing what to do with it. Hell, you might even just prefer to click the notes in on a piano roll as many top producers still do. This same process can be used for other controllers as well, like drum pads or whatever.

And if your computer isn't a limitation in your music production there is no reason to upgrade. Don't go into this thinking "I have 3k, how can I spend it?" Think "What do I need?" and have the peace of mind that you got the dough in the bank to get it. Who knows? 6 months from now you might end up feeling like you need something entirely different but you blew all your cash on an overpowered computer for the music you producer or a hardware compressor that collects dust.

[mtl6]

Just wanna say that I finally hooked up my KRK VXT6s and they sound AMAZING. I'm almost nervous they sound too good to mix on Highly recommend them so far but I'll update in like a month or so

[Crimsonghost]

Just wanna say that I finally hooked up my KRK VXT6s and they sound AMAZING. I'm almost nervous they sound too good to mix on Highly recommend them so far but I'll update in like a month or so

I hear really good things about the vxt series. What were you using before? I probably missed that in a different post.

[forbidden]

any plans on what to spend the rest of the money on? if you're looking at midi controllers, I highly recommend the M-Audio Oxygen 25. M-Audio is kinda shit for interface/monitors but they make some great peripherals IMO, this oxygen controller being one of the best from everything i've read. perfect for getting little chords out and recording modulation, the knobs on it feel nice.

as far as the interface goes as recommended earlier in the thread, there probably isn't a reason to spend more than 300 on an interface, provided you aren't trying to record an entire band at once. 2 ins and 2 outs will be good enough for you, make sure you get USB 2.0 or better.

if you're using bose headphones for referencing, ditch those (i use mine for travel only now) and pick up a pair of either sennheiser HD650's or beyerdynamic DT-880 Pro's. 2 best and most positively reviewed headphones in the price range of 300-500. one of the best decisions i ever made production-wise (I opted for the DT-880's). you'll want a nice pair of headphones to hear little nuances in your sound, the monitors will come in handy for mixing and panning as well as general listening but when you are shaving bits off of drums to make them more minimal or just scanning for unnecessary junk in loop/sample a good pair of headphones is impossible to beat.

it's also good to have as many points of reference as possible. listen to things on the shitty bose headphones, listen to things on your monitors, listen on your nice studio headphones. generally a really solid mix will sound good on almost anything.

after all this i'd recommend looking into acoustic treatment. you can get a decent amount of foam for anywhere from 100-300 and sticking it to your walls is pretty easy, there are many ways to do it and properly arrange it, google/youtube are your friends.

a lot of useful info itt already, just thought i would give you my two cents.

[Mason]

macs are shit m8s